Bemidji Bucks rout Agassiz Gamblers, 13-6, behind 10 strikeouts

Bemidji’s 13-run night gave the Bucks exactly the kind of midweek lift they needed at Bemidji State Baseball Field. Behind Carter Scanlon’s 10 strikeouts over six innings, Bemidji routed the Agassiz Gamblers 13-6 on Wednesday and moved back toward the middle of the Northwest Border summer standings after entering the game at 3-4.

The Bucks did it with the kind of clean, pressure-heavy baseball that plays well in townball. Bemidji drew 10 walks and committed no errors, a combination that kept innings alive on offense and limited Agassiz chances to mount a comeback. The Gamblers, based in Thief River Falls, were never able to match the Bucks’ pace at Bemidji State University’s home field.

Scanlon was the central reason the game tilted Bemidji’s way. The Bemidji State pitcher, a Maple Lake High School product whose roster profile lists him as born Oct. 6, 2004, worked six innings and fanned 10 while earning the win. For a Bucks team trying to steady its season, that kind of outing mattered: the victory put Bemidji back above .500 and showed how quickly a strong pitching performance can pair with an active lineup in a summer league game.

The setting also underscored why the Bucks still matter in Beltrami County. Bemidji is the county seat, and Beltrami County’s population was 46,228 in the 2020 census, a reminder that summer baseball remains a local draw in a county where the ballpark on the Bemidji State University campus gives residents a familiar place to gather. Midweek games there carry more weight than a simple score line; they are part of the town’s seasonal rhythm.

Bemidji now heads to Grand Rapids before a scheduled road game at Hibbing on Saturday, June 20, and another meeting with Agassiz on Sunday, July 12. With the Bucks starting to settle in after a 3-4 opening stretch, Wednesday’s win offered both a reset and a sign that the Northwest Border race still has plenty of summer left.